Project title: Development of Confined Rubberised Concrete for High Ductility Structural Applications

Objectives: Rubber from waste tyres will be utilised to replace portions of the conventional concrete mineral aggregates. The main aim of this research is to characterise and optimise the performance of rubberised concrete in compression and generate predictive models that could be used for the development of new highly deformable structural elements. This research is part of Anagennisi.

Tasks and methodology: Despite the prospective benefits of rubberised concrete, rubber in concrete results in undesirable losses in workability, stiffness and strength, which has limited its use to non-structural or low-grade applications.  The literature also lacks consensus. Predictive models regarding rubberised concrete behaviour are very scattered.  To address these challenges, a combination of experimental and theoretical work will be adopted to examine the key parameters influencing rubberised concrete workability and stress-strain behaviour when subject to compression. FRP confinement will be used to enhance the concrete strength and stiffness. These results, alongside with data from the literature, are instrumental to the development of accurate predictive models describing CRC behaviour.

Expected results: 

• An experimental database on the parameters influencing rubberised concrete performance.
• Constitutive models for the behaviour of confined and unconfined rubberised concrete. 
• Development of a high-deformability, high ductility concrete with reduced environmental impact for many prospective structural applications.

Supervisor: Prof. Kypros Pilakoutas